Home Office

Africa: Refugees

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect the European Union Regional Development and Protection Programme for refugee and host communities in North Africa and the Horn of Africa to become effective; and what further consents are needed before this can happen.

Lord Bates: The North Africa Regional Development and Protection Programme was launched in April 2015 and the Horn of Africa Regional Development and Protection Programme in June 2015. The UK strongly supports both programmes. Activities on the North Africa Programme are expected to begin in September 2015. The proposal for the Horn of Africa Programme will be finalised in the autumn, following a trip to the region by a Dutch-led delegation.

Ministry of Justice

Marriage

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their definition of marriage.

Lord Faulks: There is no single legal definition of marriage. Marriage in England and Wales is a legal relationship between two people that is provided for by the Marriage Act 1949, as amended.

Ministry of Defence

Merlin Helicopters

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether plans have been developed and exercised to use the new Merlin Mk2 helicopters to fill the reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare gap in the North-west Approaches, and the Greenland, Iceland and United Kingdom gaps, left by cancellation of the Nimrod programme.

Earl Howe: Merlin Mk2 Helicopters have been utilised in support of exercises and operations and remain at readiness to do so.A decision on whether to take further steps to mitigate the maritime surveillance capability gap will be part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Seas and Oceans: Surveillance

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the requirements of the Border Force, HM Revenue and Customs, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and other government departments and agencies in United Kingdom waters are part of the work on future maritime surveillance informing the Strategic Defence and Security Review; and if so, what is the composition of the team responsible for the maritime work.

Earl Howe: Work has now begun on the 2015 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR). The process is still in the early stages and is being led by the Cabinet Office in close consultation with all relevant departments and agencies. The National Maritime Security Committee, a cross-government group with responsibility for this area of policy, will feed their work into the SDSR.

Trident

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent is vulnerable to espionage as a result of insufficient maritime patrol surveillance.

Earl Howe: The Government takes its responsibilities for maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent extremely seriously and continually conducts assessments to ensure that the required security and operational effectiveness standards are met. I am not prepared to comment on any further details as this could allow conclusions to be drawn on the UK's capabilities.

Iraq: Military Aid

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how long the deployment of army personnel to Iraq to provide training to the Iraqi security forces is planned to last.

Earl Howe: The Government has been clear that dealing with this threat will take time and patience. Our intention is to provide support to the Iraqi Government whilst the Iraqi Government still requests it and we believe it to be needed.

Armed Forces: Mesothelioma

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what data is collected about the incidence of mesothelioma among members of the armed forces; what studies of this issue have been conducted; what estimates they have made of the future incidence of mesothelioma among service men and women and of connected fatalities; and whether any consideration is being given to extending legislative provisions on compensation related to mesothelioma to include members of the armed forces affected by their service.

Earl Howe: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) holds some data about the incidence of mesothelioma among members of the Armed Forces. For example, since 1995 the MOD has been able to identify if an individual has been medically discharged as a result of the condition. Diagnoses for cancers are made at secondary care level by the NHS, however the data the NHS Cancer Registries collect is not at an occupational level.The MOD has not conducted studies or research about mesothelioma. A 2009 case control study of occupational risks in the British population undertaken by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimated that about 2,500 Royal Navy veterans will die from mesothelioma between 2013 and 2047. Two thirds of the deaths occur in those aged 80 years or above.The War Pensions Scheme provides no-fault compensation on discharge for Service personnel and their dependants for injuries, illness and death caused as a result of Service before 6 April 2005. Veterans who contracted mesothelioma before 6 April 2005 can claim no-fault compensation under the War Pensions Scheme, rather than through the Mesothelioma 2014 Scheme. The latter is a last resort arrangement for individuals when their employer/employer's insurer is unknown. Because their employer is known, and the MOD insures itself, the 2014 Act does not benefit former Service personnel.

Cyprus

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the length of the land perimeter of the Sovereign Base Area of Dhekelia with (1) the area administered by the Turkish Cypriot Authorities, and (2) the area administered by the government of Cyprus.

Earl Howe: The length of the land perimeter of the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area, excluding the small Republic of Cyprus enclaves, with (1) is approximately 50.4 km and (2) approximately 34.6 km. The Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area is also on the perimeter of the UN controlled zone and the length of the boundaries is approximately 8.5 km in the West and 1.1 km in the East.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Disqualification

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to publish statistics on sanctions imposed under the universal credit scheme as it is brought into effect.

Lord Freud: The Department published its strategy for releasing official statistics on Universal Credit in September 2013. As outlined in the strategy, officials are quality assuring data for Universal Credit and formulating a definitive list of what statistics will be provided in the future. These statistics will be published in accordance with the relevant protocols in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Bovine Tuberculosis

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what difference the badger culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire have made to the incidence of tuberculosis in cattle in those areas.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: In Gloucestershire the total annual cattle herd incidence of tuberculosis fell from 12.70% in 2012 to 11.48% in 2014. In Somerset the total annual cattle herd incidence of tuberculosis fell from 7.56% in 2012 to 6.91% in 2014.  Total new breakdownsBreakdowns with OTF status withdrawnTB tests in OTF herdsTotal annual herd incidence *Glos.2012224181176412.70% 2013213174173512.28% 2014196153170811.48%  Soms.201231021341037.56% 201331720241067.72% 201428819741676.91%  * Total new breakdowns divided by TB tests in OTF herds  The biology of bovine tuberculosis and its epidemiology is complex. The full effects of interventions will only be seen several years after their introduction.

National Parks

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the timetable for decisions on the proposals to extend the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales national parks.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: A public inquiry into Natural England’s proposals to extend the boundaries of the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks was held in June 2013. The inspector’s report has been submitted to Defra and is now being considered. The Secretary of State will issue her decisions in due course.

Forests

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have regarding the future ownership and management of the forestry estate.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: As set out in our manifesto we will ensure that our public forests and woodlands are kept in trust for the nation in line with the 2012 Independent Panel on Forestry’s recommendations. A great deal of preparatory work has already taken place, in which key interested parties have been involved. In the meantime, the estate will remain secure in the care of the Forestry Commission.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Affordable Housing: Construction

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of progress towards building 80,000 new affordable homes per year for the next five years.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government is committed to deliver 275,000 new affordable homes over the next five years with £38 billion of public and private investment.

Derelict Land

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for increasing the percentage of social housing grant for new developments by housing associations on brownfield sites on which the development would not otherwise be financially viable.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: There is no set amount of grant allocated for new affordable housing developments.The Homes and Communities Agency assess all applications on a case by case basis, taking into account local circumstances against the criteria set out in the 2015-18 Affordable Homes Programme prospectus. Around 80% of the Affordable Homes Programme in 2011-15 delivered by the Agency outside London was on brownfield land. Applications to deliver affordable homes in London are assessed by the Greater London Authority against their published prospectus (The Mayor’s Housing Covenant 2015-18 Programme).

Derelict Land

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much was spent from the £1 billion fund for remediation of brownfield land in each district or unitary local authority in England in each of the last five years.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to match the brownfield investment fund created by Pendle Borough Council on a pound for pound basis or in some other way in order to help bridge the funding gap in the development of such sites.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government is committed to ensuring that brownfield land is used as much as possible for new development. This is supported by our intention to create a £1 billion Brownfield Fund to unlock homes on brownfield land. The Fund is a new initiative and as such no payments from it were made in previous years. The focus of the Fund will be on unlocking homes on brownfield land to create additional housing. Ministers are finalising the details of how it will operate and are clear that the role of local authorities such as Pendle Borough Council will be crucial.

HM Treasury

Public Sector: Investment

Lord Kinnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to increase the level of public sector net investment set out in the December 2014 Office of Budget Responsibility Economic and Fiscal Outlook to a level above 1.3 per cent of gross domestic product for the 2016–17 financial year, and to a level above 1.2 per cent of gross domestic product for the 2017–18, 2018–19 and 2019–20 financial years.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The most recent forecasts for Public Sector Net Investment by the Office for Budget Responsibility can be found in their March 2015 Economic and Fiscal Outlook. The government will set out its plans for spending beyond 2015-16 later this year.

Minimum Wage

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of how many people who work 37.5 hours per week or more (1) receive benefits and (2) would receive benefits if the minimum wage were increased to the living wage.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs does not hold the information requested.

UK Membership of EU

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the economic analysis in the report A Blueprint for Britain: Openness not Isolation.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: In order to inform policy making, the government reviews and notes the wider evidence on key international economic questions on an ongoing basis.   The Government has a clear mandate to improve Britain’s relationship with the rest of the EU, and to reform the EU so that it creates jobs and increases living standards for all its citizens.   The Prime Minister has started to discuss his plans for EU reform and renegotiation with other EU leaders. He has been clear that the plans involve reforming welfare and immigration rules, increasing economic competitiveness and cutting red tape to create jobs and growth for hard working families, and protecting Britain's interests outside the euro.   It also means halting the constant flow of powers to Brussels including by ensuring a stronger role for national Parliaments. The Government will hold an in/out referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU by the end of 2017.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Fracking

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government in respect of which areas (1) they have granted licences for exploratory drilling in relation to fracking, (2) applications have been made for such licences but have not yet been determined, and (3) applications have been made for planning permission relating to exploratory drilling for fracking.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences (PEDLs) are not specific to shale gas. They grant exclusive rights to extract hydrocarbons, including shale gas but also other forms, within a particular onshore area. A separate consent is required before any drilling or hydraulic fracturing (fracking) can take place. So far the Government has granted hydraulic fracking consent for shale to Cuadrilla’s Lancashire operations.The Oil & Gas Authority does not have any undetermined consent applications. Applications for new PEDLs under the 14th Onshore Licensing Round are being considered – 95 applications for 295 licence blocks have been made.Planning permission is a matter for the local Mineral Planning Authority. However, the applications submitted by Cuadrilla in Lancashire and by Third Energy in North Yorkshire are in the public domain.

Cabinet Office

Constituencies

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to reduce the number of seats in the House of Commons ahead of the 2020 general election.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Government remains committed to equalising the size of constituencies in order to make votes of more equal value. The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies (PVSC) Act 2011 provides for the number of UK constituencies to be reduced from 650 to 600 through a boundary review which must report before the 1 October 2018.

Legislation

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what procedures they have put in place to ensure that legislative proposals have been adequately discussed and agreed by committees of the Cabinet and the Cabinet before being announced.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee is tasked with overseeing the Government's legislative programme. The Government does not comment on the proceedings of Cabinet or its committees.Information on the legislative process is available on the gov.uk website. A copy of ‘Guide to Making Legislation’ has been attached for ease.  



Guide to Making Legislation
(PDF Document, 2.13 MB)

Public Bodies

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the case for, and powers of, the existing non-ministerial departments, agencies and other public bodies.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Government's Public Bodies Reform Programme, introduced in 2010, has reduced the number of arm's-length bodies, including executive agencies and non-ministerial departments, by a third. To date, this has delivered cumulative savings in excess of £2.6bn. As part of this Programme, there is a requirement that both non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies are subject to regular review.

Common Purpose

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the charity Common Purpose receives funding from government sources.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Cabinet Office has no records of current funding from Cabinet Office to Common Purpose.

Government Departments: Empty Property

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many vacant houses and flats are owned by government departments or agencies; and what plans they have either to bring them into use or to redevelop their sites.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Government Property Unit in the Cabinet Office is working with departments to reduce vacant space across the estate.Since May 2010, we have reduced our Estate by 2 million square metres, saving over £625 million in running costs and generating £1.4 billion in capital receipts. On 31st March 2014 only 2.4% (204,327 sq m) of space was vacant across the mandated Civil Estate, well below the reported national average of 8.8%.Information on the number of vacant houses and flats owned by departments or their agencies is not held centrally.

Taxpayers against Poverty

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when and how they plan to reply to the 19 May letter to the Prime Minister from Taxpayers Against Poverty.

Lord Bridges of Headley: As far as I am aware, the Prime Minister's Office has not received this letter.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

FIFA

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with United Kingdom businesses that sponsor FIFA regarding how to achieve more accessible, efficient, transparent and accountable management of that organisation.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government acknowledges and welcomes the important role of FIFA's sponsors in pushing for reform of FIFA. To date, the Government has not had any discussions with FIFA sponsors about the management of FIFA. FIFA's sponsors will be aware of Government's views that urgent reform of FIFA is needed, however it remains a decision for them as to how they now choose to work with FIFA following Sepp Blatter’s resignation.

Gaming Machines

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of reducing the maximum stake for fixed odds betting terminals from £100 to £2.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: We conducted a review of stakes and prizes during the last triennial review in 2013 and acknowledged the lack of evidence on whether FOBT gaming machines and related stake size in themselves have had any significant effect on the level of problem gambling in Britain. However, recognising that harm can be caused by gambling, including machine gambling, the government brought in restrictions for the maximum unsupervised stake on FOBTs.More time is needed for these changes to bed in before drawing conclusions as to their effectiveness. The Government continues to monitor the effects of existing controls and if need be will take action if these controls are found to be insufficient.

Department of Health

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with other governments regarding the decision of the United Kingdom to permit germline modifications for the purposes of preventing the transmission of mitochondrial disease; and what, if any, concerns were raised during those discussions.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government has had no discussions with other international governments about Parliament’s decision to pass the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Mitochondrial Donation) Regulations 2015. Although a matter reserved to the Westminster Parliament, the Government has kept the Devolved Administrations informed about the development of these regulations. Information is not routinely collected by the Department about other countries’ approaches to addressing mitochondrial disease.   The Government has made no formal assessment of the statement by Mr John Holdren, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, however we understand that his comments were not in relation to mitochondrial donation.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they collect information on whether other countries permit germline modification for the purposes of preventing the transmission of mitochondrial disease.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the statement of the government of the United States on 26 May that "altering the human germline for clinical purposes is a line that should not be crossed at this time"; and the statement by the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy that "the full implications of such a step could not be known until a number of generations had inherited the genetic changes made – and choices made in one country could affect all of us".

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government has had no discussions with other international governments about Parliament’s decision to pass the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Mitochondrial Donation) Regulations 2015. Although a matter reserved to the Westminster Parliament, the Government has kept the Devolved Administrations informed about the development of these regulations. Information is not routinely collected by the Department about other countries’ approaches to addressing mitochondrial disease.   The Government has made no formal assessment of the statement by Mr John Holdren, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, however we understand that his comments were not in relation to mitochondrial donation.

General Practitioners: Private Sector

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by Exeter Medical School showing that private general practitioner out-of-hours care providers in England provided a worse service than the NHS or not-for-profit equivalent.

Lord Prior of Brampton: We are aware of the recent research, which found that on average, less positive patient experiences were associated with commercial providers of out-of-hours general practitioner (GP) care in England, but that the best commercial providers scored higher than many of the National Health Service and not-for-profit providers. The research suggests that further work is required to understand the reasons for this.   We know that there are variations and examples of good practice among all providers; recent inspections of out-of-hours GP services conducted by the Care Quality Commission found many examples of good practice, but also highlighted areas for improvement.   All out-of-hours providers must meet national quality requirements that include sharing details of the patient’s medical history and care plan and ensuring that the patient is treated by the clinician best equipped to meet their needs.   NHS England must support clinical commissioning groups to meet the national quality standards and act appropriately to any concerns arising. GP practices that do not provide out of hours services to their own patients are required to monitor the quality of the out of hours services that are offered or provided to its registered patients having regard to the national quality standards and record, and act appropriately in relation to, any concerns arising.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Winston: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many human eggs were frozen in the last six years by centres registered by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority; and how many of those eggs were frozen by (1) the slow-cooling method, and (2) the process of vitrification.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the number of human eggs frozen between 2008 and 2013, the last six years for which data is available, by centres registered by the Authority, is 24,406. The HFEA does not hold information on the method of freezing, vitrification or slow cooling, during this period.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Winston: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the average age of women submitting their oocytes for freezing in the last six years; and how many were undertaking the process (1) as a result of cancer or similar treatment, and (2) for social reasons.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the average (mean) age of women freezing eggs for their own use was 34. The age of egg donors (i.e. freezing eggs for donation) is limited by professional guidelines. The HFEA does not hold information on the reasons for egg freezing during this period.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Winston: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many human eggs frozen by slow-cooling have been (1) thawed, and (2) fertilised, in the last six years; how many of those have (a) developed into embryos, and (b) been transferred to a recipient uterus; and of those transferred, how many have developed into pregnancies, and how many (i) live births, and (ii) early pregnancy losses or stillbirth, have resulted.

Lord Winston: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many human eggs frozen by vitrification have been (1) thawed, and (2) fertilised, in the last six years; how many of those have (a) developed into embryos, and (b) been transferred to a recipient uterus; and of those transferred, how many have developed into pregnancies, and how many (i) live births, and (ii) early pregnancy losses or stillbirth, have resulted.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it does not hold information on the method of freezing, vitrification or slow-cooling, during this period. The HFEA collects data on the other information requested on treatments and outcomes but cannot break this down by method of freezing. The relevant information held by the HFEA, as indicated on the treatment form completed at the time, is set out in the attached tables.



Treatment form information tables
(Word Document, 20.42 KB)

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Winston: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure the follow-up of children born after fertilisation of frozen oocytes, in particular to understand any epigenetic or other deleterious effects that might be associated with egg freezing.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that, as part of its Information for Quality program, it will in future collect information on the methods of freezing, vitrification or slow-freeze. The HFEA will also work closely with researchers to enable longer term research.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, to date, how many adverse reactions to (1) Cervarix, (2) Gardasil and (3) generic human papilloma virus vaccines have been reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency; for each category, how many of those reports are of serious adverse reactions; and what age-specific rate those figures represent.

Lord Prior of Brampton: A total of 8,243 suspected adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports with human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines have been reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), via the Yellow Card Scheme, up to 3 June 2015.   To date, more than 8 million doses of HPV vaccine have been given across the United Kingdom as part of the routine immunisation programme. The MHRA does not hold data on age-specific vaccine usage, and therefore age-specific reporting rates cannot be calculated.   It is important to note that a Yellow Card report is not proof of a side effect occurring, but a suspicion by the reporter that the vaccine may have been the cause. Yellow Card data cannot be used as a reliable indicator of the frequency of suspected ADRs to vaccines or medicines. The level of ADR reporting may fluctuate between given years due to a variety of reasons such as a medicine being new (reporting rates are generally higher when a product is first introduced), stimulated interest/publicity and variations in exposure to the medicine.   The possible known side effects, and the frequency, are listed in the product information which is provided with the vaccines. The vast majority of the 8,243 ADRs relate to the known risks of vaccination that are well-described in the available product information. The proportion of suspected ADRs for HPV vaccines that were reported as serious (32%) is less than the proportion reported as serious for other routinely used vaccines (68% overall) during the same time period. The expected benefits in protecting against HPV-related mortality and disease outweigh the known side effects of HPV vaccine.   The following table provides a breakdown of UK suspected spontaneous ADRs received via the Yellow Card Scheme in association with the HPV vaccine. The MHRA does not hold data on age-specific vaccine usage, and therefore age-specific reporting rates cannot be calculated.   Vaccine BrandTotal number of reportsNumber of serious reports (% of total)Reporting rate per 1000 doses (serious reporting rates per 1000)Cervarix6,2661,768 (28%)0.78 (0.22)Gardasil1,471504 (34%)0.18 (0.06)HPV Brand unspecified507326 (64%)0.06 (0.04)Total for Human Papilloma virus vaccines*8,2442,598 (32%)1.03 (0.32) Source: MHRA sentinel database for adverse reactions. * It should be noted that the total number of reports received will not be equal to the totals in the table above as some reports of suspected adverse reactions may have included more than one vaccine.   The seriousness criteria for ADR reporting were determined by a working group of the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) and are defined as 6 possible categories which are explained on the Yellow Card. The MHRA asks reporters to select one of the following criteria by ticking the appropriate box on the Yellow Card: (1) patient died due to reaction; (2) life threatening; (3) resulted in hospitalisation or prolonged inpatient hospitalisation; (4) congenital abnormality; and (5) involved persistent or significant disability or incapacity; or (6) if the reaction was deemed medically significant. In addition to this, seriousness of reaction terms has also been defined by the MHRA in its medical dictionary. Therefore an ADR report can be serious because the reporter considers the reaction to be serious or because the reaction term itself is considered serious in the MHRA medical dictionary.

Lung Cancer: Drugs

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to improve lung cancer therapy available on the NHS in the light of the recent trial of Nivolumab.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Nivolumab for previously treated locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer was referred to the National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) in March 2015. The development of the appraisal is expected to start shortly, and NICE is anticipating final guidance to be issued in May 2016.

Drugs: Prices

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the pharmaceutical industry about the costs of new treatments for cancer and rare diseases.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Ensuring that the National Health Service is able to support the availability and use of effective medicines for cancer and rare conditions is a key priority for this Government. We continue to work with the pharmaceutical industry on a range of issues, including the pricing of new medicines, through mechanisms such as the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme.   The Cancer Drugs Fund has already helped over 72,000 people and this year £340 million will be provided so people get the drugs they need. A working party made up of NHS England, cancer charities, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Ethical Medicines Industry Group and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry is looking at options for the sustainable long-term commissioning of cancer drugs.   We take the issue of ensuring rapid access to innovative therapies very seriously, which is why we have launched an Accelerated Access Review to make recommendations to Government later in the year on speeding up access for NHS patients to innovative and cost effective new medicines, diagnostics and medical technologies.